# I'm thinkin coolidor!



## Jeff989 (Sep 17, 2010)

well i knew the day would come... when my humble 50ct humidor was full, and that day was today,(Not like its a bad thing:thumb its filled to capacity, so it is time to start thinking of my next humidor(or coolidor) 

we have a bunch of coolers at the house i could use, so i wouldnt have to buy one (BIG PLUS) 
the only thing i dont like is its kind of tacky ya know lol but hey if it works it works right?

i do however want to put a custom Spanish Cedar interior in it with trays and dividers..etc.etc.etc.... i at least want to have some personal touch to it... i cant really afford the humidor i want (125ct minimum, plus it will just be full anyways so why not get the biggest possible space)

what do you guys think about my idear ??


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

I think it's by far the most economically sound way to store cigars, period. They hold rH and temp better than humidors and for the money, you get exponentially more space. They are far easier to maintain as well.

You can buy pre-made trays from vendors such as Cheaphumidors and Cuban Crafters, so if you're lazy, you can let them do the work. A pound or two of beads and you have a rock-solid coolerdor.

A 50ct is perfect to have around to smoke from and it keeps your opening and closing the cooler to a bare minimum. Just pull out a dozen or so smokes a month and let the cooler alone.

Go for it!


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## Snagged (Aug 20, 2010)

IMHO, a cooler lined with Spanish Cedar is like buying a $500 car and putting $1000 rims on it. 

At best, it's just a cooler. Set it up as a simple coolidor, use it to store your smokes, and save your cash. Hide it in your closet when you don't need it. Save up some cash. If you're still smoking in 5 years, buy a cabinet humidor.


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## bopmachine (Aug 9, 2010)

I'd suggest contacting ed at waxingmoon. He could custom make you some trays, etc for your cooler.


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## RealtorFrank (Jan 7, 2010)

Go for it, that is what I did when I first started out. After about two years, I moved up to a cabinet!


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## thebayratt (Jun 4, 2009)

Buy the premade shelves and go at it. I wouldn't worry about putting in liner and such. If you are going to store boxes, then that should be enough SC to get you by. Ive seen people put singles in boxes too inside the coolerdor.


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## Bunker (Jul 20, 2010)

I took an old cooler and cleaned it out an made sure it was dried thouroughly.

Then took two empty wooden cigar boxes, pulled the brass hinges out an instantly had four trays. 

Recently I made the switch to dry kitty litter crystals and now have a beautiful 65 degree, 65 % humidy thing going.

My cigars now go from UPS box to freezer, then cooler and eventually get unwrapped and go into the 50 ct as needed.


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## MoreBeer (Feb 13, 2010)

The best to use are the Igloo Marine Grade coolers. They're entirely white and inside have a matte finish to the interior plastic and no smell. Coolers with shiny plastic inside usually reek badly. Some coolers no matter how much they're washed and remain sitting with baking soda inside to rid them of that cooler smell can sometimes still emit that beloved "cooler odor".

If there's a Costco nearby check it out, they sell a 54 qt model for about $25. BTW, I do like the idea of lining these with cedar which I did with mine although spanish cedar isn't cheap.


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## Jeff989 (Sep 17, 2010)

thanks for the replys guys, well the reason i would line it with SC is because i have zero cigar boxes, ive never bought a box of cigars before, but i mean its not going to be some massive 300qt cooler or anything like that.. i still have to find out what coolers we have just laying around (and dont reek like cooler lol) but i was planning on getting the SC from an online source and just making everything myself, i like the "yeah i made the interior myself" kinda deals lol.. i mean this idea is still being tossed around quite a bit in my head, but im 99% sure im gonna go with it goal will prob be somewhere in the 65-75 dollar range as a rough gustimate


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## marked (Jul 29, 2010)

I may be lucky, but my local B&M just gives empty boxes away. I have a whole stack of them stored against the time that I may want to use them in a coolidor or a cabinet I'm considering putting together. You might want to give that a try. Some places sell them, but you're still not out a lot of money. SC can be kind of expensive, and especially if you start talking about building custom drawers and dividers. Like Snagged said, that's like putting $1000 rims on a $500 car. And the bottom line is that you don't actually NEED the SC, although it is nice for the scent. I have an acrylic display humidor that holds 65% humidity like a champ and there's not a matchstick worth of cedar in it.


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## Jeff989 (Sep 17, 2010)

i definitely got the short end of the stick when it comes to B&M's .. at either place i live there is not a B&M for at least an hour in any direction. well i figure like spend maybe 15-30 bucks on SC depending on the size of cooler i get, i figure it shouldn't be too hard to make some shelves.. i mean hell for what a single shelf goes for (8-9$) i might as well just make em myself, plus i could make them to the size/dimensions i want.. i have mostly singles and 5'ers,.. i mean i dont want it to be super extravagant, but i would like it to be decent, im not going to put like 1" thick planks over the entire inside or anything like that, just maybe some 1/8" planels, maybe 1 or 2 planks on each side just to help regulate the humidity.. maybe im over analyzing everything again lol :music:


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## Jeff989 (Sep 17, 2010)

actually marked your point about the acryllic humidor intrigues me a bit... shoot maybe ill just make trays for single cigars, and just say screw it on the SC lining :mrgreen:


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## bhuang61 (Jun 3, 2010)

Jeffrey,

If it were me (and it was recently) I'd just skip the SC. No need for it in my opinion. Just spend the money you would spend on SC and get pound of heartfelt 65% beads. They will do the job of SC in stabilizing your humidity in a plastic environment. The good smell will come from cigars! 

I have a tupperdore that will hold 3-400 cigars and no cedar in it. Beads keep it stable at 65%...way better than my humi; and the smell when I open it is FANTASTIC! In the interest of disclosure, I do have a little cedar (in the form of boxes) in the tupperdore...2 exactly. You could buy a couple boxes from your B&M and there you go. Either way, more money free to spend on smokes.


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## veteranvmb (Aug 6, 2009)

This thread has raised an interest for me, as I am out of room, and want some simple storage for some long term box aging. 
I do understand there are thousands of posts concerning these coolers as humidors. 
Could some kind soul, maybee post a few photos, of a simple one they have, with boxes in it. 
Do you just add the boxes and beads and thats it? I am in no need of shelving. 
Could you store on a temporal basis loose cigars also?
Do you need to buy the marine type box? How well do they hold humidty? Do you leave your boxes closed or do you keep them slightly ajar with a matchbook or something? 
Please some photo reposts. 

Any info and photos appreciated because I really do not want to buy any more humis. I am looking for an overflow humidor at this point, that I can store in a bottom of a closet, or on a high shelf somewhere, where I can basically set it, and forget it, for a few weeks at a time. 

Thanks Jerry


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## Jeff989 (Sep 17, 2010)

hmmm alright... prob just go with enough beads to take care of it... and make 2-3 trays for singles, then just get a few boxes of smokes for now... (i do love onyx reserve and those are only like 50-60 a box, so that would work for SC)... thanks again for all the replys guys, and Veteranvmb i am also a little curious about the box thing.


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## Son Of Thor (Apr 14, 2010)

Here is a couple pics of my cooler, I recently got some of chasidors trays to fit on the lip in the cooler and may turn them into trays for storing singles in. I also added a small computer fan to keep some air moving around in there.


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## veteranvmb (Aug 6, 2009)

Thanks. What are chasidor trays? Never heard that term. Do they come sized or do you have to cut them down?
The computer fan, how is it powered??? I can see some value to that. 
J


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## Son Of Thor (Apr 14, 2010)

Here's a link to the chasidor stuff.

Chasidor, Online Store

I bought my trays from him for my wine cooler and then added sides to them to make trays. I did a little measuring after I got my cooler and found that one of the sizes he makes would fit nicely in my cooler. The computer fan is powered my an old cell phone charger, I just cut off the old plug on the end and wired it directly to the red and black wires on the fan. I will have two fans going in there shortly. My first order only one of them worked and they are kind of small so I ordered two more of a bigger size. I plan to set one up on each side of the cooler to create a circular movement of air in the cooler.


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## Athion (Jul 17, 2010)

Is there such a thing as too much air movement?

Also, your Beads,are they just in bags?> or do you have soemthing under them? I guess what im really asking, is do they not leak on stuff?


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## Son Of Thor (Apr 14, 2010)

They are just in panty hose, nothing under them. I've pretty much been running them dry all summer. Every once in awhile I'd spritzed them here or there, but mostly have just needed to remove humidity this summer. I'm sure this winter will be a different story though.


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## marked (Jul 29, 2010)

Athion said:


> Is there such a thing as too much air movement?


That's a good question. I can't imagine in such a small enclosed environment that much air movement would be needed. You'd only need to cycle it around a few minutes a day, I'd think.


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## Jeff989 (Sep 17, 2010)

im sure if you were worried about the beads leaking you could put like a plastic lid under the bags, or something along those lines but then again, i dont think you get beads soaking wet:ask:


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## Snagged (Aug 20, 2010)

Not trying to start a fight here among the members or anything Jeffrey, but if you're doing this on a budget, read up on the "kitty litter" threads and consider that for regulating humidity instead of investing in beads. You can get 8lbs of silica litter at Petco for $20. If you look around, you can probably find a better deal than that. If you want, they also sell mesh aquarium filter bags for a buck or so that work well to hold the pellets. Anyway, 8lbs of silica is enough to humidify your kitchen refrigerator if you want! The litter is what I use in my coolidor...rock solid 65% at a fraction of what heartfelt beads are going to cost. 

Not saying litter is better or worse...(hoping to avoid the debate) just cheaper and functional for a guy on a budget who would rather buy cigars than beads.


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## Jeff989 (Sep 17, 2010)

do you just use the straight beads or do you add salt or anything like that to the litter???? i did a little searching, some people use just the litter and others add salt to it, im just not for sure what the kitty litter would regulate the humidity at. so would the litter release water as well??


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## Son Of Thor (Apr 14, 2010)

In my pictures above I am using the litter from petsmart. Its all I've ever used and I use it in the cooler and my wine cooler. I haven't used any salt yet on mine, but will probably look into that this winter when I'll need it to be adding moisture to the air. Since the air is humid here in the summer, my litter has just been pretty much dry all summer. I've been able to keep my humidity around 63-65% with it.

I'm sure Tony will chime in shortly, he was the first person I've seen mention adding the salt to the water. There is another thread or two where he explains it more in depth.


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## Snagged (Aug 20, 2010)

I live in Florida, so the humidity in my air conditioned (78 degrees) house runs about 50% for most of the year, higher if it cools off enough for me to open the windows in the winter. I don't add salt to the litter in my coolidor. It stays at 65. If it's really dry at your place, you might need to mess with that. However, I'd just start out with the straight stuff and see how it works. I'd say the need for all that will depend on how dry your air is, how good your cooler seals, and how often you open it up.


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## Bunker (Jul 20, 2010)

Cheap cooler that I cleaned.

The trays are the used boxes that I took apart (yes, that is Exquisicat Litter)



The desktop


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## xJaCkSlApx (May 7, 2010)

can you use old boxes cigar as cedar lining ?


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

xJaCkSlApx said:


> can you use old boxes cigar as cedar lining ?


Probably 98% of coolerheads do.


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## xJaCkSlApx (May 7, 2010)

Herf N Turf said:


> Probably 98% of coolerheads do.


cool! im just a newbie in the puff world  I was thinking of making a coolidor since i want to buy 2 boxes of my frav smokes. Cheaphumidors will be the stop for my set up since they carry beads and also sell trays.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

xJaCkSlApx said:


> cool! im just a newbie in the puff world  I was thinking of making a coolidor since i want to buy 2 boxes of my frav smokes. Cheaphumidors will be the stop for my set up since they carry beads and also sell trays.


If you're OCD about aesthetics, trays are the way to go. But, if all you want to do is store cigars on-the-cheap, just use old boxes.

Trust me, CAO Brazilias don't care if they're resting in a La Gloria Cubana box.


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## xJaCkSlApx (May 7, 2010)

Herf N Turf said:


> If you're OCD about aesthetics, trays are the way to go. But, if all you want to do is store cigars on-the-cheap, just use old boxes.
> 
> Trust me, CAO Brazilias don't care if they're resting in a La Gloria Cubana box.


haha i dont mind old boxes at all, but i would like just 2 trays to put some sticks on top as a grab and go smoke and use the boxes as just lining but i could save more just using old boxes


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